


A Catty Punishment

by VixensShadow



Category: Hustle Cat
Genre: Animal Transformation, Canon Ambiguous, Cats, Gen, I think it might be my brain, It sounds more kinky than it is I swear, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Post-Canon, References to Shakespeare, Something Made Them Do It, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, a bit of, ask me how that happens and I have to shrug, it's vague on what sorry, no specific route, something is wrong here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-23 02:26:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11393451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VixensShadow/pseuds/VixensShadow
Summary: After Avery gets into (another) fight with a witch, Graves feels it is necessary to do something about it.





	A Catty Punishment

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr Notes:This is more than likely a post-Grave’s route…. Probably? It’s vague enough to be any of them. Like specific events that happened in each could be mentioned, but you can guess it still could happen to some other way after any ending. Yah to vagueness, the best friend to anyone who can’t make up a decision to what their favorite was. 
> 
> I see Graves as someone who refuses to call the play Macbeth by name. He seems like he’d take that superstition seriously.
> 
> Also I’m sorry that my writing voice isn’t terribly great. I haven’t written fiction in a while, apparently. And definitely not fanfiction, besides once that was actually a part of a job application that incidentally became one because I needed names.
> 
> New Notes: oh god. I just read through it with a little bit of distance from it. While I agree with the thoughts I had on it being mediocre, Graves's voice especially seems off. He's too... exaggeratedly verbose and just... no. There are moments that seem closer to right though. Still am posting it here in this state as well as keeping it on my tumblr because I need to remind myself of how bad my writing of other people's characters can get if I forget to keep the character in mind. Even if I know the canon. Though some of this is hilarious because it's bad. 
> 
>  
> 
> Back to playing his route a few more times to get a better hang of how he phrases things.

In a monochromatic apartment connected to the city’s cat café, sat two people having coffee. The shorter, grey haired person was easy to observe as anxious, with the constant fidgeting and glancing around. The other, an older man, was much calmer, but still uncomfortable. He drank coffee to offset his nerves, as he explained their purpose here. Soon into the man’s monologue, the other lost focus but remained jittery. However, one set of words caught their attention.

“What do you mean I have to be a cat for the next few hours?” Avery stood while yelling at the man in front of them.

Graves looked away to take a sip of coffee, before evenly explaining, “It’s the terms of your punishment.” He turned back and all Avery could do was focus on his blue eye. “You confronted another for this sanctuary, when you are to remain dignified and above reproach while training.”

“But… I…” Avery remained stumbled for words to explain their behavior before moving to pleading, “I could close by myself, I could clean the entire store.” Those suggestions were met with a sigh. “Clean the litter boxes for the next month?” They tried desperately, trying to get any other punishment.

“Avery, those penances suit infractions made operating the cafe.” Avery, in response, sat in defeat. “Not nearly being shuffled off this mortal coil by a wayward sister.” Graves looked further pained as he said that. The reminder of how that conflict was moving was not needed but remained as a grim phantom on his thoughts.

However, Avery perked up at a reference they thought they understood. “That one’s from Shakespeare, right?” Thinking it further over they mumbled aloud, “But I thought the witches in that were called the Weird Sisters?”

A small smile crosses Graves face as his face softened. “Multiple actually.” He patiently elaborated, “The Prince of Denmark’s soliloquy on the contemplation of suicide, as well as the future King of Scotland’s prophets. The babes of the poet’s folio metamorphosed the sisters three of the Scottish play from wayward to wyrd. With a ‘Y.’ Further, they were funneled from being the goddesses of fate to the everyday seers.”

“Oh like the Greek myth! Didn’t the Greek Fates only have one eye to see the future between them?” Derailing seemed to be doing the trick of distracting Graves from the topic at hand. Maybe enough to get him to forget?

Several seconds of silence follow the exclamation and question. “No. Not quite. You are thinking of the Graeae, the Grey Sisters.” More silence followed, as Grave’s fond smile slowly ebbed into a more serious expression, Avery’s following seconds later in drooping.  “Avery, I am serious. You can easily end up in danger if you don’t take the proper precautions.”

“I didn’t think I was going to have a problem. I seriously thought I was fine.” They curled up into themselves.

“You had a blessing with how simple the conclusion of the ordeal with Natch was. No lifelong afflictions or long lasting bodily harm. All the damage washed from our bodies.” Graves paused a moment before concluding, “I believe the floor received the worst injury.” A soft chuckle left him with the small joke, causing Avery looked up to him, eyes narrowed.

Avery muttered to themself, “We were all emotional wrecks, you idiot.”

With little to add to that thought, Graves continued, “The others who have challenged Landry and Reese had been similarly unaccustomed to their power. Experienced enough to know their form, but not practiced enough to be a threat to anyone’s safety.”

 “Could have fooled me. Asmodeus almost wiped the floor with Reese.”  

“Unfortunate, but necessary.” Grave tilted his cup, watching how the liquid moved. “Reese required a push to find his unique abilities. He can mimic as well as any changeling but struggled so hard to deny the natural source of his power. Landry, quite similarly, needed to accept his talents.”

“So….” Avery stood up and made their way to the door, saying, “Speaking of Landry and Reese, we’ve been talking a while and I should go back to wor…”

Graves grabbed Avery’s hood as they made to pass him. “No. I have said the terms of your return downstairs.”

“But a cat? I can’t work as a cat.”

“You don’t say.” He finished his cup of coffee before setting it to the side of the coffee table in front of him. “I do believe I mentioned that being part of your punishment, before you focused on the cat issue.”

“Can it please be something else? Anything else besides being a cat?”

Graves had a bit of hurt in his expression but it solidified to a more serious expression. “With your resistance to this particular action, I believe it is exactly right for you. I have no idea why you are so resistant to being a cat.”

Avery looked Graves directly in both eyes, flatly answering, “I was threatened with a curse that would turn me into a cat whenever I wasn’t at my workplace. A single whisker was more than enough.” Several deep breaths latter, Avery sat next Graves, facing him. “Let’s just get this over with then. Quicker this happens the quicker I can be a person again, right?”

“Yes.” Graves brought his hands up to Avery’s temple, before announcing: “This may pinch a bit in the shift.” His hands begin to glow a yellow-tinted white light. His hands kept on them for several seconds before they were fairly suddenly several feet above their head with a prickling feeling crossed their skin. With the sensation, Avery closed their eyes, feeling an intense rush of vertigo.

Avery could feel the magic stabilize into a flow around them, giving off a hum. Graves spoke as the magic shifted, “This forced transformation will break once you have spent three hours, awake, in the café proper. You may return to your original form once in private, either alone or with the staff of this establishment only.” When Graves finished his curse, the magic seemed to snap and gave Avery a shock with the zapping sensation, before that too dissipated.  

Opening their eyes, Avery asked, “So what breed am I?”

“Egyptian Mau. It will be a disappointment to several to find out you aren’t just a regular silver tabby.”

“Aren’t they really close to the same thing?” Avery asked, while getting the feeling of their new body. They gave several flicks of their ears and nose with the increased sensitivity in those senses. They could hear Dracula in her castle, and looked to see her carefully observing from a distance, where she had previously been buried deep within. Avery couldn’t remember when the Countess had moved to watch her domain. Dracula and Graves’s combined scent seemed to permeate most of the room, but there were hints of what Avery could only guess were their co-workers’.

Graves seemed amused by their behavior and question. “As one of the oldest and worshipped in Egypt, Mau have the distinction of being known as particularly regal. But yes they generally have tabby patterns.”

With their question answered, Avery began moving, stumbling and tripping over their own paws. Graves caught them by their scruff when they nearly fell off the couch, before settling them on the ground.

Graves at some point caught their eyes, and was surprised. “Ah, your albinism seems to be remaining in place.” Avery’s eyes narrowed, ears flat back, and tail began twitching. “Your fur is a pale silver common amongst Mau, but your eyes remained purple.”

“Oh.” The silver cat relaxed, before looking back to the door. “Anything else I should know before I head out there?”

Graves stood up and made his way to the door, Avery soon following. On his way he answered, “No speaking if there are any customers around. You are essentially on unpaid Cat Detail.”

 “Okay. I guess this won’t be so bad.” Avery said as they crossed the threshold.

Graves smiled, and reminded, “You’ve yet to be see Finley.” With that, the door to the apartment was closed.


End file.
